IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, the interim Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has ordered the transfer of seven Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) to other departments.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said this in a statement.
To lead the Department of Finance and Administration, DIG Frank Emeka Mba, DIG Habu A. Sani, and the Force Intelligence Bureau, respectively, DIG Bala Ciroma, DIG Frank Emeka Mba, and DIG Habu A. Sani have all been redeployed.
The police stated that the development came about as a result of the Police Service Commission (PSC) elevating worthy individuals to the level of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police.
Others are DIG Usman D. Nagogo to Department of Logistics and Supply, DIG Daniel Sokari-Pedro, to Department of Information and Communication Technology, DIG Ibrahim Sani Ka’oje, to Department of Research and Planning, and DIG Ede Ayuba Ekpeji to head the Department of Operations.
Egbetokun also approved the posting of the following Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to the following Commands and Formations as indicated against their names: “AIG Oladimeji Yomi Olanrewaju has been posted as the Force Secretary, AIG Yekini Adio Ayoku, mni to head the Police Mobile Force, AIG Idris Dabban Dauda, fdc, to Zone 16 Yenagoa, AIG Oyediran Adesoye Oyeyemi, fsi, to head the Police Cooperative, and AIG Benjamin Okolo Nebeolisa, fdc, to AIG Department of ICT.
“Furthermore, the IGP charges the newly posted and redeployed senior officers to entrench professionalism in their respective Departments, Commands, and Formations while prioritizing human security and people-centric policing services.”
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has made some clarifications over the controversy that trailed his selection of former president, Umar Yar’dua, as his successor.
Obasanjo was Nigeria’s first executive president upon the return to democratic rule in 1999. He left office in 2007 after the end of his second term.
He was succeeded by Yar’dua, who was the former governor of kastina state. Yar’adua, however, died in office in 2010 after a protracted illness plunging the country into a constitutional crisis at the time.
Obasanjo has been blamed in some quarters for the fate that befell Yar’adua and the crisis engendered by the leadership lacuna in the aftermath of his death.
Many opined that Obasanjo knew about Yar’adua’s health challenges but still picked him to occupy the highest office in the land.
However, in a recent interview with TheCable, Obasanjo said Yar’adua was certified medically fit to become the president and he didn’t appoint him because he knew he would eventually die in office.
Despite not being an insider in his government, Obasanjo said he supported Yar’adua to become his successor because of his enviable character and integrity.
Obasanjo said “See, I set up a committee headed by Dr Olusegun Agagu, of blessed memory, to search for a successor. They considered many names and did an extensive assessment on all of them. They made their recommendation. Umaru was top on the list.
“Their biggest argument in his favour was that he had integrity and would not steal. The issues concerning his health were raised and I gave his medical reports to an expert for an opinion. Umaru’s name was redacted so that the expert would not know who it was and why I was seeking his opinion.
“After assessing the reports, he said the patient appeared to have done a kidney transplant and if that was the case, there was nothing to worry about and he would be as healthy as any other person. That was it. All insinuations that I knew he was going to die and that was why I supported him to be president were false. This is the true story I have told you”
Rabiu Kwankwaso has been expelled from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) by its National Executive Committee (NEC) due to his alleged failure to attend hearings before the party’s disciplinary committee.
Earlier, Mr. Kwankwaso had faced suspension by the party’s leadership during the national convention held on August 29 in Lagos.
Following this, the NEC established a disciplinary committee and instructed them to extend an invitation to Mr. Kwankwaso to address allegations of serious anti-party activities and mishandling of party and campaign finances within a five-day window.
The NEC had cautioned that if Mr. Kwankwaso failed to appear before the disciplinary committee, he would be expelled from the party, as per the provisions outlined in the party’s 2022 constitution (as amended).
Consequently, NNPP’s acting spokesperson, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, issued a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, confirming Mr. Kwankwaso’s immediate expulsion from the party due to his refusal to respond to the committee’s invitations.
Mr Abdulrasaq said, “The NEC met in an emergency session on Friday, September 1 and resolved as follows: Following the refusal of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to appear before the disciplinary committee, which sat on Thursday, August 31 after being duly invited in writing, he is hereby expelled from NNPP with immediate effect.”
He added, “That the erstwhile presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will be reported to appropriate quarters to answer questions on financial impropriety relating to mismanagement of public funds.”
The crisis within the NNPP started when the NWC of the party loyal to Kwankwaso announced the suspension of the NNPP founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Dr Agbo Major, on August 24.
The service of DAAR Communications PLC Management, the owners of AIT and Raypower, which was disrupted at the request of the Rivers State government, will be restored soon.
They stated that the ongoing dispute between DAAR Communications PLC and the Rivers State Government is currently being heard in court and that further comments on the matter will be withheld in order to avoid jeopardizing the legal process.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the management said that on September 4th, 2023, at approximately 10 a.m., a joint operation involving the Rivers State Government and federal security agencies resulted in the collapse of the Transmission Mast for AIT and Raypower in Port-Harcourt.
According to management, the unfortunate incident damaged the transmitter building and antennas, making AIT and Raypower terrestrial transmission temporarily unavailable.
DAAR Communications PLC’s management assured its valued audience that alternative means of accessing AIT and Raypower content remain available, including DStv, Gotv, StarTimes, the FreeTV platform, and the AIT and Raypower Apps available online.
Furthermore, the company stated that it is actively working to expedite the restoration of terrestrial broadcasting services.
It stated that the public will be kept up to date on any developments.
It was stated that DAAR Communications PLC is grateful to well-meaning Nigerians, media organizations, corporate interests, and political stakeholders who have expressed sympathy and support during this difficult time.
Despite these setbacks, the company stated that it remains committed to providing high-quality media services. Raypower FM and AIT are expected to emerge stronger and more resilient from adversity.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi on Monday claimed that the National Assembly withheld N650 million met for road projects in the country.
According to Umahi, the projects were almost completed but the lack of funds is keeping the contractors on site.
The former governor of Ebonyi State during a press conference called on the lawmakers to release funds.
He further stated that the way Nigeria’s budgetary allocation was designed is not encouraging for contractors to complete road projects.
The minister noted that the release of funds to contractors on an annual basis made road projects linger as in most cases.
He said, “When you give a contractor N150m a year for N600m road project, he’ll pocket it while mobilising to the site without doing anything on the ground. When confronted, he’ll say he’s yet to get the material he requested for outside the country as the money was not enough.”
He encouraged Nigerians to plant cash crops across road corridors to prevent kidnappings.
Umahi said, “Nigerians must get value for their taxes, the road is everything, where we are having kidnapping is on the spot where roads are bad, we should remove the bushes and plant cash crop, it is ideal and acceptable and we should replicate it in all parts of the country. It’ll remove the kidnappings.”
Umahi said the construction of concrete roads would not be enforced on projects awarded already.
He, however, said contractors would need to give assurance that roads built with asphalt would last up to 30 years even though the concrete roads would last longer.
The Minister added, “We are not stopping asphalt works but it is not possible to be paying the job that we know will not stand for five years. Contractors hide under the funny excuse of overloading for the road not standing long.”
He said the operations of the Federal Road Management Agency would be reviewed to “ensure that any intervention in states would be done with the input of the state government to know the roads with top priority.”
The Labour Party (LP) has said it is ready for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to deliver its final ruling in its petition challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory.
Naija News reported that the Presidential tribunal, on Monday, confirmed that September 6 had been chosen as the date to deliver the ruling on the petitions challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu at the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement on Monday, the Court of Appeal Registrar, Umar Bangari, confirmed the date for the much-anticipated verdict, adding that the court proceedings will be open to live broadcast by interested television stations.
Bangari stated that everything has been put in place to ensure a hitch-free delivery of the judgment in the three petitions.
He added that adequate security had been put in place and that only the invited members of political parties and the general public would be allowed into the courtroom to avoid congestion and security breaches.
Reacting to the development in a chat with Daily Trust, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, expressed optimism that the judgement would be in its favour tomorrow.
Ifoh stated that the wish of Nigerians would prevail and all the party’s prayers to the tribunal would be answered.
He said: “We are optimistic that the judgement would be in our favour and that all our prayers to the tribunal would be positive.”
Recall that the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), as well as their presidential candidates, had petitioned the tribunal seeking to nullify the election of President Tinubu the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 presidential election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It would be recalled that after adopting the final written addresses of the parties involved in the suit, the five-man tribunal headed by Justice Haruna Simon Tsamani reserved judgment and said a date to deliver the verdict would be communicated to concerned parties and their lawyers.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has explained why they shunned the meeting with the Federal Government over increasing hardship and suffering across the country caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Naija News recalls that the NLC had refused to attend a last-minute reconciliatory meeting with FG before embarking on its two-day warning strike.
Speaking on the reason for shunning the meeting, sources in the NLC leadership told Vanguard that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong had held a media briefing where he allegedly castigated labour leaders.
This reportedly forced the NLC leaders to shun the meeting that would have been held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Federal Secretariat.
The minister was said to have threatened the NLC leaders at his briefing, foreclosing any chance that NLC would honour the meeting.
One of the visibly angry NLC leaders told the aforementioned publication that they had to shun the meeting so as to avoid possible arrest.
His words: “We were scheduled to meet the Minister of Labour and Employment later today (yesterday), precisely by 3 pm but a few hours to the meeting, the minister called a media briefing where he castigated us and threatened us among other uncomplimentary words.
“Not that the meeting would have stopped the strike, but we intended to attend the meeting in the spirit of social dialogue. But as you are aware, the Minister of Labour, before the scheduled meeting, held a media briefing castigating and threatening us.
“You do not expect us to attend a meeting when we had been warned of a possible arrest.
“In fact, we thank the minister for putting us on notice of their plan. So, the right thing to do is to keep away from such meetings and avoid any possible arrest.
“What the minister had done was nothing short of industrial dictatorship and naked blackmail. The Federal Government had already taken decision on the proposed meeting, the minister was kind enough to hold a briefing ahead of the meeting to disclose part of the government’s decision.
‘’Well, like I said earlier, the strike goes ahead as planned. After Wednesday, we will determine what next steps to follow. The NEC’s communiqué was loud enough. We cannot continue as if we are living in a different country from our political leaders and their cronies.
‘’You cannot continue to beat us and say we should not cry. Everywhere you go in every part of the country; people are complaining of hardship and suffering without concrete efforts by government to lessen our pains. Instead, the government is unleashing more policies to send us to untimely death.”
Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has vowed to shut down Federal Secretariats across the country ahead of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), two-day warning strike.
The National Coordinator of FWF and former Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Oyo State Chapter, Andrew Emelieze disclosed this in a statement released on Monday.
The statement read, “We at the Federal Workers Forum are in full support of the call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for a two-day national warning strike from Tuesday 5th to 6th September 2023 over issues of government insensitivity to the plight of workers and the citizenry at large.
“As federal workers, we are also badly affected by the economic crisis visited on Nigerians as a result of the hike in the pump price of petrol, all in the name of subsidy removal.
“We had earlier written to the federal government to adjust our wages automatically in line with the existing economic realities but that has fallen on deaf ears.
“It is over three months now that fuel subsidy had been removed and fuel has equally been increased twice by over 300%, with a price shift from ₦187 to over ₦620 but salaries have remained the same. Federal workers within this period have gone through excruciatingly tough times. It has been stories of mass suffering and life has been made almost meaningless to the federal workers.
“Everything has been nauseating and hunger is now a way of life among the federal workers. As a matter of fact, federal workers have been financially embarrassed as against the provisions of the general order of the federal civil service rules and regulations.
“Federal government workers are no slaves, we therefore query this pathetic situation and call on all federal workers to ensure that the two-day warning strike is successful.
“We call on the federal workers to ensure that all federal government Secretariat across the federation is shut down during the strike period. Workers are to also ensure that every other government office, department and agency is shut down nationwide.
“We call on all industrial unions, organising federal workers to comply with the directives of the NLC.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) is also called upon to ensure the success of this strike action.
“We urge the federal government to meet up with the demands of labour.
“We demand also that the government pay up all outstanding arrears of salaries, promotions, duty tour allowances (DTA) owed the federal workers and particular attention to the arrears of salaries of federal university workers in Nigeria.
“Henceforth, federal workers will no longer tolerate any oppression of federal workers anywhere and we shall not hesitate to join any workers group in solidarity strike when oppression is noticed; our attention here is drawn to the plight of our colleagues in the federal universities.
“We equally call on the NLC to pursue this struggle to a logical conclusion and stop this mass cheating of workers. The NLC must not disappoint Nigerians, the labour movement has our collective support.”
Popular human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has expressed concern about the attention the expected verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal is generating from Nigerians.
The lawyer stated that no election petition has attracted such a level of blackmail and intimidation of the judiciary since the colonial days as the 2023 tribunal.
Falana however pointed out that the verdict of the tribunal is not final and all stakeholders need to remember that the Supreme Court can still overturn whatever be the presidential tribunal’s ruling.
Naija News reports the lawyer made the submission on Monday during an interview appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
In his words, “We have been having election petitions since the colonial era, but none has attracted such level of blackmail and intimidation of the judiciary.
“I am worried that people give the impression that everything ends with the judgement of the Court of Appeal, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Any party that loses on Wednesday still has the opportunity to appeal to the Supreme Court. So, what is the basis for the cheap blackmail that is going on?”
The senior lawyer noted that regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s tribunal ruling, the heavens won’t fall and the judges must not be intimidated.
“As they say, even if the heavens will fall and the heavens won’t fall anyway, the judges must not be intimidated, they must give their decision regardless of blackmail or intimidations convinced that they can justify their judgment.
“That is what is required of them, to examine the evidence, apply the law and deliver a decision. One way or the other, some will lose, some will win; but those who lose in the case and are aggrieved will have another opportunity to approach the Supreme Court and demonstrate how the Court of Appeal has erred,” Falana submitted.
It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal on Monday confirmed that it will deliver judgement on the presidential election petitions on Wednesday, 6th September, 2023.
Former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has warned the judiciary not to truncate the electoral process as it delivers judgment on the Presidential Election Petition.
Naija News reports that the elder statesman, while speaking during a state-of-the-nation press conference in Lagos on Monday, said the judiciary should never go through the route of announcing any of the 2023 presidential candidates as the winner.
Bode George said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) procedure was faulty; therefore, the judiciary should order a rerun.
He noted that pronouncing any of the candidates as President would redefine democracy in Nigeria as the government of the judiciary.
The PDP leader said, “Whoever that the tribunal eventually announces as the winner of the election, I am saying, if the judiciary pronounces anybody the President with the shambolic procedure from this election, it will be a shame on this country. The judiciary should never go through that route.
“The procedure is faulty, so they should direct the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to go back and do the election again. If it is one million times, go back and do the election. You see now that there is peace in Kenya because the Supreme Court said go back and do the election.
“Otherwise, if they pronounce Mr A or Mr B as the winner of that shambolic election, then democracy in Nigeria would be redefined as the government of the judiciary, for the judiciary and by the judiciary. Is that a democracy?”
Bode George also took a swipe at the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu‘s administration, saying it is hurting Nigerians.
He faulted the Federal Government’s method in the distribution of N5 billion palliatives to Nigerians, describing it as voodoo economics.
He said, “There is no individual in this globe called earth that knows it all. Who is the Chief Economic Adviser in the Villa? Is he a voodoo economist? Is he a medieval economist? Basic theory in economics says that when too much money is chasing a few goods, it causes hyperinflation. You gave N5 billion to states as palliatives, Who took that decision? Lagos has more than 22 million people, Bayelsa has about two million people and they have the same money.
“Kano with a huge population got the same with Jigawa. Is it money for the boys or money for the people? The whole world is now a global village.
“The moment Russia shut down their gas pipeline to Europe; they have all been in hell. What we are talking about here is the pain the people are passing through.
“In England too, there is pain and the people are shouting, doctors are on strike and the salary can no longer meet their daily needs. The cost of electricity has gone through the roof. But in Nigeria, what the hell are we doing here?”
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The Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives on the disposal of public property on Monday, commenced investigation into the Federal Ministry of Water Resources over its disposal of assets belonging to 12 River Basin Development Authority in 2018.
This came as the committee summoned six key agencies to appear before it to clarify the role they played in the sale of public assets at their disposal.
The invited agencies are the Nigeria Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nigeria Customs Service, Anambra/Imo River Basin Development Authourity, Osun River Development Authourity and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The Managing Directors of the River Basin Development Authority who showed up before the committee on Monday said the Ministry of Water Resources took charge of the disposal of the property because the agency had no governing boards in 2018.
The leadership of the RBDA also informed the committee that the ministry advertised and selected auctioneers who disposed off the assets, adding that it would in the place of the ministry to provide answers to some of the questions raised by the committee.
The Chairman of the committee and a member representing Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State, Julius Ihonbvere faulted the submissions of the MDs, stressing that the committee was left with no option but to invite the ministry.
“I want to assure you for now that we are not very satisfied and that is because you did not preside over this process. We are not satisfied with the disconnects in some of the documents; we will require that you come back after we deduce some of those documents directly from the ministry on behalf of your agencies. We will also invite the ministry to deal with us directly,” he said.
A 15-man investigative panel of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has suspended four medical professionals from practising in the country.
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) made this known on Monday via its social media platforms.
The Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel is a court of first hearing in matters of alleged ethical misconduct that are properly brought before the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The panel consists of 15 members all of whom must be registered medical practitioners or dental surgeons.
The Professional Discipline (PD) department receives and processes allegations of professional misconduct against medical doctors and dental surgeons from members of the public as specified in the Standing Orders and Rules of Procedure of the MDPIP.
The Head of Department coordinates the activities of the department and serves as the secretary to the Investigation.
According to MDCN, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel has ordered the Interim Suspension from the Medical Profession in Nigeria, of the following registered medical practitioners: 1. Dr. Ejike Ferdinand Orji. 2. Dr. Richard Chukwujekwu Okoye. 3. Dr. Olalekan Olatise. 4. Dr. Buliaminu Adebayo Adigun.
Dr Richard Chukwujekwu Okoye is the director of the Save A Life Medical Center Limited who was said to have rejected an international offer to build a multi-billion naira medical empire in Nigeria.
Dr. Ejike Ferdinand Orji, was sentenced to one year imprisonment by Justice Adedayo Akintoye of the Lagos High court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square over negligence, causing harm and endangering the life of a 16-year-old patient.
The Medical Director of Excel Medical Centre Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos was arraigned alongside his wife, Dr(Mrs) Ifeanyinwa Grace Orji but was discharged and acquitted following an application by the Director of Public Production that the Lagos State government wishes to discontinue the case against her.
Dr Olatise Olalekan is a specialist and consultant nephrologist in Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, and is a professional in kidney transplant and consultation services, dialysis and other medical treatments that relates to kidney disease.
Dr. Buliaminu Adebayo Adigun is a medical doctor at the Oyo Hospitals Management Board.
The above registered medical practitioners were ordered by the panel not to practise medicine in Nigeria “until the cases against them are determined by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.”
The tribunal noted that “that their suspension has been communicated to them and other relevant institutions to enforce the order.”
Farmers in Nigeria will be receiving 33,000 metric tonnes of raw granular potash, which will be used as fertilizers.
Granular potash or Potassium (K) is an essential element for plants that improves water uptake, carbohydrate storage and frost and disease resistance.
It also strengthens the standing power of cereals reducing the risk of lodging and counteracting the damaging effects of excessive nitrogen.
The decision to disburse the farm material led to the inauguration of two committees, namely logistics and blending by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.
Kyari said it is part of the measures to address the food security emergency in the country in statement signed by the Chief Information Officer of FMAFS, Eremah Anthonia on Monday.
He said, “In a bid to address the emergency in food security, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. Senator Abubakar Kyari, has inaugurated two committees namely logistics and blending.
“They will work out the modalities for utilizing the donated 33,000 metric tons of granular potash raw materials for subsequent distribution of the finished products to smallholder farmers to boost food and nutrition security.
“We will not rest on our oars until the cloud foisted by the high cost of food prizes is swept off the skies over Nigeria”.
The Agric Minister added that farmers need NPK fertilizer, which was the result of process of blending Urea, Limestone granules (LSG), Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Muriate of Potash (MOP).
He also noted that two of the raw materials (urea and limestone) can be found locally, while other materials were imported; the DAP is from Morocco while the Potash from Europe.